Container carrier stock

ABSTRACT

Strip stock of container carriers primarily for machine application to a selected number of pairs of containers wherein the stock is capable of being severed at any longitudinal position between container encircling bands to provide unitary packages of different selected numbers of pairs of containers.

206/65 C, 65 E; 224/45 AB, 45 BA 1i willie States atent 91 [1 113fi33ifi Tanzer [4 1 May E5, 1973 [54} CONTAINER CARRIER STOCK [56]References Cited a V UNITED STATES PATENTS [75] Inventor Tame"Brookfield, 3,374,028 3/1968 Wanderer ..294 s7.2 73 Assigneez IllinoisTool works Inc. Chicago, 3,202,448 8/1965 Stern et al. ..294/87.2

Primary ExaminerEvon C. Blunk Assistant Examiner-Johnny D. Cherry 71 i[22] Flled May 5 19 Attorney-Robert W. Beart, Jack R. Halvorsen, pp No.10, Thomas W. Buckman and Edward L. Benno [57] ABSTRACT 52 U.S. Cl.....294/s7.2 206/65 0 Strip 0f miner carriers Primarily for machine [51]Int Cl B65d 71/00 application to a selected number of pairs ofcontainers Fie'ld 3 2 wherein the stock is capable of being severed atany longitudinal position between container encircling bands to provideunitary packages of different selected numbers of pairs of containers.

2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATEHTEU 1 19 3 INVENTOR. John Tanzer BY azfiww.

His Aff'ys CONTAINER CARRIER STOCK SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Thisinvention concerns a strip stock of container carriers, primarily formachine application to different selected numbers of containers, whereinthe stock is formed from a strip of resilient, elastic, deformable,plastic material of substantially uniform thickness. The plasticmaterial contemplated is a polymer such as polyethylene. The strip stockcomprises a predetermined length of longitudinally-arrangedtransversepairs of container encircling bands. The strip stock is I soformed that it may be severed between any transverse pair of containerencircling bands with uniform longitudinal spacing between any pluralityof pairs of bands, with a minimum of excess material at the severedends, with a convenient tab or price tag at the severed ends, and withconvenient finger holes and tabs within any group of two or moretransverse pairs of container encircling bands.

The subject invention is an improvement in carrier constructions of thetype shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,874,835. Such carriers when formed of thenoted material are provided with container encircling bands thecontinuous inner peripheral extent of which is smaller than thecircumferential dimension of the containers. When the carrier is appliedto a plurality of containers, the material of the bands adjacent theinner periphery of the bands is disposed substantially flat against thecircumferential surface of the containers and firmly grip thecontainers. The configuration of the bands about the containers at theareas where the bands are interconnected may be described as somewhatfrustoconical.

In the formation of prior art carriers for application to a plurality ofcontainers, the carriers are often formed as continuous strips formachine application. However, in order to provide for proper endconfiguration of the carriers and a relatively close spacing between thecontainers in any one carrier, it has heretofore been necessary toprovide a different longitudinal spacing between the carrier ends in thestrip stock as opposed to the spacing between adjacent transverse pairsof container receiving apertures in any one carrier. Attempts to provideuniform spacing between carriers in a strip stock have generallyproduced unsatisfactory end configurations for the intended purposes ofthe carriers.

A further disadvantage resulting from the use of strip stock with otherthan uniform longitudinal spacing between the container receivingapertures or bands is that it has not been possible to provide carriersof a varied number of container receiving apertures or bands from thesame strip stock.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a strip stockof container carriers which will allow for severance at any longitudinalposition between transverse pairs of container apertures or bands, witha minimum of excess material at the severed ends, and with convenientfinger holes and tabs within any group of two or more transverse pairsof container encircling bands for comfortably carrying the resultingunitary package of containers and carrier.

A feature of the invention is the formation of a tab or price tag ateach end of a carrier severed from the strip stock wherein the tabarrangement is essentially one-half of the finger hole and tabs providedwithin any group of two or more transverse pairs of container encirclingbands.

Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent upon theperusal of the hereinafter following specification and drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a plan view of a portion ofone embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of eight containers in a longitudinal sectionof the strip stock which is partially shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a section of the strip stock of thesubject invention applied to four containers or cans.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT It is contemplated thatthe strip stock of the subject invention be formed of a considerablelength, for example, a thousand or more pairs of bands and usuallymounted on a reel. Only one small section of such a strip stock is shownin FIG. 1, but is should be understood that many more bands would beintegrally formed on the ends of the section shown.

The section of strip stock shown in FIG. 1 comprises three pairs ofintegrally formed bands 10. The material of the strip stock is intendedto be a resilient, elastic, deformable, plastic material ofsubstantially uniform thickness. Contemplated plastic materials arepolymers, such as polyethylene.

The inner periphery 11 of each band 10 is continuous and uninterruptedand defines a container receiving aperture. The defined aperture issubstantially elliptical in shape, and the inner peripheral extent ofeach aperture is less than the circumferential dimension of thecontainers with which the carrier is intended to cooperate. In themachine application of such carriers to a plurality of containers, thesubstantially continuous strip stock is brought into association with aplurality of containers, such as cans, and the bands 10 are stretched toslip the bands over the tops of and about the circumferential surfacethe container. The strip stock is then released and due to the notedcharacteristics of the plastic material, the bands 10 will assume a moreor less flat condition and firmly grip each container. The manner inwhich the container encircling bands 10 are shaped after application tothe containers is substantially shown in FIG. 3 wherein the bands 10 aredisposed about a plurality of cans 12. The next step in the process isgenerally a severing operation to produce groups of unitary packages ofa carrier and a plurality of containers. In the strip stock of thepresent invention that severing operation may occur between anytransverse pair of bands 10 to form a unitary carrier and containerpackage of any selected number of pairs of containers. In FIG. 2, thesevering has occurred to produce a unitary package of the carrier andthe eight cans 13. In FIG. 3, the severing has occurred to produce aunitary package of a carrier and four containers 12. The severingoperation to produce the unitary packages is performed along a line suchas the dotted lines 14 indicated in FIG. 1.

The material between each band 10 and the next longitudinally positionedband 10 is a relatively short integral web 15 spanning the outerperipheral edge of each band on each side of parallel tangent lines ofthe adjacent bands 10.

The material between the bands 10 of each pair is an integrallongitudinally extending web indicated at 16. The webs 16 extendoutwardly of the outer periphery of the bands 10 to form the tabs 17.The tabs 17 terminate short of the severance lines 14. When the tabs 17are located at either end of a carrier severed from the strip stock, thetabs 17 form convenient legend areas and may be used to indicate theprice of the unitary package of a carrier and a plurality of containers.When the tabs 17 are located within a group of two transverse pairs ofcontainers, a convenient finger hole and tabs arrangement is formed forcarrying the unitary package. The finger hole and tabs arrangementsbetween the various pairs of bands may also be used for receiving andinterlocking with other handle means (not shown). In the unitary packageof a carrier of the subject invention and a group of containers as shownin F I05. 2 and 3, the tabs 17 will be positioned substantially in aplane perpendicular to the axes of the containers, and the integralportions of the bands 10 and webs l5 and 16 will assume a somewhatfrustoconical shape.

I claim:

1. A predetermined length of strip stock for forming a plurality ofcontainer carriers for different selected numbers of pairs ofcontainers, said strip stock com prising a resilient, elastic,deformable and elongated strip of plastic material comprising aplurality of six or more container encircling bands arranged in aconnected series of adjacently positioned pairs, each of said containerencircling bands of substantially uniform width throughout a substantialportion of each of their circumferences, first web means extendingtransversely of said elongated strip and substantially tangentiallyinterconnecting adjacent longitudinally arranged pairs of bands, saidpairs of bands being uniformly spaced for selective severance throughany selected first web means, second web means longitudinally extendingand interconnecting said adjacently positioned pairs of bands, each endof said second web means providing a longitudinally projecting tabextending toward a line transversely of said strip stock and passingthrough each of said first web means, said tabs extending substantiallylongitudinally outwardly of the contiguous edges of each of said bandswhereby a longitudinally deflectable tab is provided at each end of astrip produced by a selective severance of said first web means and apair of opposed tabs are provided intermediate each pair of adjacentlypositioned pair of bands which is connected to a second pair oflongitudinally adjacent bands when connected by said first web means.

2. A predetermined length of strip stock as defined in claim 1, whereinthe inner peripheral measurement of each of said container encirclingbands is less than the circumferential measurement of the correspondingcontainers so that the material of said bands adjacent the innerperiphery of said bands is stretched and deformed to resiliently gripsaid containers in a substantially flat condition against thecircumferential surface of said containers when said bans encircle saidcontainers, and the tabs of said second web means having a length sothat said tabs extend in a plane substantially perpendicular to the axesof any containers encircled by said bands when said bands encircle saidcontainers.

1. A predetermined length of strip stock for forming a plurality ofcontainer carriers for different selected numbers of pairs ofcontainers, said strip stock comprising a resilient, elastic, deformableand elongated strip of plastic material comprising a plurality of six ormore container encircling bands arranged in a connected series ofadjacently positioned pairs, each of said container encircling bands ofsubstantially uniform width throughout a substantial portion of each oftheir circumferences, first web means extending transversely of saidelongated strip and substantially tangentially interconnecting adjacentlongitudinally arranged pairs of bands, said pairs of bands beinguniformly spaced for selective severance through any selected first webmeans, second web means longitudinally extending and interconnectingsaid adjacently positioned pairs of bands, each end of said second webmeans providing a longitudinally projecting tab extending toward a linetransversely of said strip stock and passing through each of said firstweb means, said tabs extending substantially longitudinally outwardly ofthe contiguous edges of each of said bands whereby a longitudinallydeflectable tab is provided at each end of a strip produced by aselective severance of said first web means and a pair of opposed tabsare provided intermediate each pair of adjacently positioned pair ofbands which is connected to a second pair of longitudinally adjacentbands when connected by said first web means.
 2. A predetermined lengthof strip stock as defined in claim 1, wherein the inner peripheralmeasurement of each of said container encircling bands is less than thecircumferential measurement of the corresponding containers so that thematerial of said bands adjacent the inner periphery of said bands isstretched and deformed to resiliently grip said containers in asubstantially flat condition against the circumferential surface of saidcontainers when said bans encircle said containers, and the tabs of saidsecond web means having a length so that said tabs extend in a planesubstantially perpendicular to the axes of any containers encircled bysaid bands when said bands encircle said containers.